


in my head, i do everything right

by evanescent



Series: the patron saint of the lost causes [3]
Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Jason is a good brother, Pre-Reboot, Tears Are Shed, good tears though. necessary tears imo, ice skating rink is (not really) a great place to confront your hurts and fears, stephanie and jason help each other out, technically this pretty much reads as a stand-alone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-07-27 19:13:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16225532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evanescent/pseuds/evanescent
Summary: He tilts his head to the side and a modulator he must have in his helmet doesn’t mask a hint of annoyance in his voice as he speaks, “Alright, the show is over. If you want something, come out.”Stephaniedoesn’tsqueal at that, but she may utter a quiet curse under her breath. One day, she will be able to successfully sneak up on one of the vigilantes in this goddamn city. One day.Dropping from her safe place to the ground, Stephanie straightens up and awkwardly raises her hand in greeting. “Uh, hi.”In her head, she was doingmuchbetter.Red Hood just stares at her without a word — or, that’s what she think he does; it’s kind of hard to tell with that stupid helmet in the way. At least with her mask, her own face is also completely hidden, so they stand on an even ground when it comes to that. Even-ish....Coming back from being (fake) dead means mending relationships that never should have been broken in the first place. Trying to reconcile with Cassandra, Stephanie gains an unlikely... well,friendis probably stretching it. An ally, maybe? A kindred spirit? Something like that.





	in my head, i do everything right

**Author's Note:**

> yes this AU is Not Dead
> 
> i actually started writing this as far back as january and only managed to finish today as i spent pretty much all weekend sick and stuck in my bed. i could have studied or something, but. nah
> 
> somewhere along the way i realized that technically timeline-wise, damian was introduced before stephanie came back into the picture, but it collided with my plans, so don't hold this against me
> 
> this one is more character/relationships-driven rather than plot, but it ties a few things i've always wanted to talk about and it kiiiinda closes the first part of the series, if i can say so. title is from lorde's supercut

If she was going to be honest with herself, Stephanie could admit she missed this — being perched high up on an edge of a rooftop beside one of Gotham’s many gargoyles, harsh wind blowing all around her, making her teeth clatter and her nose scrunch up in distaste when she caught a whiff of some unpleasant smell. But looking at Gotham down below and all around her, Stephanie feels a mix of complicated, convoluted feelings — for a long time, she was sure she’d never come back here, and now that she had, she didn’t know if it was a right choice after all.

Sighing, she shakes her head. _Focus at the task at hand, Brown_.

It takes her ten minutes of travelling by rooftops to get from that part of the city to the outskirts of Park Row. It’s not an unfamiliar area to Stephanie; she knows for a fact that Batman and the others rarely go out there, and for a long time she didn’t know why, as she was not privy to many of the man’s secrets. (She still isn’t, not really.) But it’s alright; she may not be a Bat, but the person Stephanie is looking for isn’t really a Bat, either.

This is a sound logic, in her opinion. If _he_ disagrees, they may have some problems.

Finding the Red Hood isn’t hard — Stephanie follows the sounds of a fight and gunshots. It leads her to a non-descript alley where Hood is currently busy beating the shit out of some local Neo-Nazis. For a moment, Stephanie considers going out of her way to help, but he’s holding his own, so she stays in the shadows on one of the less run-down balconies, simply watching.

He uses his gun a few times, but none of the shots are lethal, as far as she can tell. For the most part he’s just fighting with his fists or knees; it’s not exactly graceful or spectacular, but it does its job and Stephanie feels her interest perk up in spite of herself, as she recognizes some of the moves as Batman’s, and as others make her think of Cass.

Once he’s done, Red Hood holsters his gun and brushes some invisible dust off his clothes — because _that_ can’t be really called a uniform, in Stephanie’s opinion. After that, he tilts his head to the side and a modulator he must have in his helmet doesn’t mask a hint of annoyance in his voice as he speaks, “Alright, the show is over. If you want something, come out.”

Stephanie _doesn’t_ squeal at that, but she may utter a quiet curse under her breath. One day, she will be able to successfully sneak up on one of the vigilantes in this goddamn city. One day.

Dropping from her safe place to the ground, Stephanie straightens up and awkwardly raises her hand in greeting. “Uh, hi.”

In her head, she was doing _much_ better.

Red Hood just stares at her without a word — or, that’s what she think he does; it’s kind of hard to tell with that stupid helmet in the way. At least with her mask, her own face is also completely hidden, so they stand on an even ground when it comes to that. Even-ish.

She clears her throat. “I’m not sure if you know who I am…”

“Oh, I _know_ who you are, alright,” Hood answers and now he sounds… well, still a little annoyed, but also… interested, she’d say. “Stephanie Brown, once known as a Spoiler — or well, once again. Robin, for a short while, even.” That, he says in a sharp, unpleasant tone, but Stephanie doesn’t flinch or gives any indication she’s intimidated or scared. “Ain’t you supposed to be dead?”

Stephanie’s stomach churns at that, but she gives an irritated huff. “Are you _really_ the right person to point that out to me?” she asks without thinking and for a second, feels _horrified_ — because _of course_ she’s about to antagonize a guy whose help she needs and who doesn’t practise the _no killing_ rule. But, to her surprise, Hood snorts.

“That was bold. You aren’t easily scared off, are you, Brown?” He shakes his head once. “I can see why you’re friends with Cass.”

And that — stings, in a way. Stephanie is honestly surprised they got right to the matter so quickly.

“I need your help,” she says, not sure if it comes genuine enough, or maybe too desperate.

Red Hood regards her in silence and then shrugs. “Nu-uh. Not interested,” he says, turning on his heel and starting to walk away in the opposite direction.

Stephanie honest-to-God just stands there for a moment, gaping, before she scrambles to her senses and follows after him. “Hey, hang on a sec!” she calls, almost tripping over the bodies of mostly still unconscious Nazis littered all over the alley. She probably stomps on a few hands on her way, but doesn’t feel very sorry about that.

“Go home,” Hood calls over his shoulder, but doesn’t stop. “I really can’t figure out what is that you’d need _my_ help with, so you can probably bother someone else about that.”

Finally managing to catch up with him, Stephanie grabs his arms and starts, “Come on, Jason—” and immediately backtracks when he suddenly turns around to face her.

“Okay, let me spell it out for you,” he hisses out and just from this close, Stephanie realizes he’s pretty tall, probably almost as tall as Batman. “Maybe you’ve heard, but I don’t exactly play nice, not like B and the others, and I don’t mix well with them. At this point I don’t really have a bone to pick with you, but you’re really starting to get on my nerves, Spoiler.” He raises a hand to his helmet — to his temple, Stephanie realizes. “Also, I have a bitachass migraine right now and I’m not above picking a fight over something stupid.”

And because Stephanie doesn’t know any better, she asks, “Do you want some painkillers? Or maybe compresses?”

Red Hood stills and she can _feel_ him stare. “What?”

“I mean, I don’t think I packed Tylenol tonight, but there’s a drugstore around the corner,” she says, pointing her thumb over her shoulder. He’s not the only one who knows the neighbourhood. “I can swing by and get you something if you think it will help you to be less of an asshole?”

Even as her mouth moves, all Stephanie can think is, _Oh my God, stop talking_.

But apparently, this is a night of surprises, because Hood exhales quietly. “Actually, the compresses are… not a bad idea.”

See? Stephanie knew being a nice human being pays off. Sometimes even more so than kicking someone in the face.

…

“Here you go,” Stephanie says once she makes her way to a rooftop of a four-store apartment building. The lady at the drugstore seemed somewhat taken aback by an appearance of a vigilante clad in eggplant, but she sold Steph heating pads and even prepared compresses for her all the same.

Red Hood is sitting, leaning against the door leading to the roof. The helmet is gone, leaving only a domino mask in its place, and he takes the compresses from Stephanie with a barest hint of hesitation. “Thanks,” he says, sounding a little dazzled. It makes her wonder what exactly he expected of her because it definitely wasn’t _this_. Kindness.

Stephanie sits down on his left, taking off her hood and lowering the mask; it seems only fair and he knows who she is, anyway. It feels strange to sit on the rooftop with Red Hood, a former crime lord who came into Gotham with guns blazing, making his rules known loud and clear, if heads in duffel bags were to speak of something. (She wasn’t here for that, but she’s heard stories since coming back.) It’s hard to reconnect the things she knows Red Hood has done — picking up the Joker’s old moniker, going against his former mentor, beating the shit out of Tim at the Titan’s Tower — with the person sitting next to her. Jason Todd, the second Robin, the _dead_ Robin, a boy with whose ghost Stephanie almost felt like she competed during her own short-lived stint as Robin.

For one, he looks surprisingly young. She knows he’s only around a year older than her, but it doesn’t change the fact he’s technically still a _teenager_ and it makes her feel out of her depth. His hair is a mess of black curls, save for a streak of white at the front, and she can see some similarities between him and Cass when it comes to their features. Yeah, he’s built like a tank and makes Stephanie feel irrelevantly small in comparison, but she doesn’t feel threatened.

Well, she’s also not totally at ease because she isn’t _stupid_ , but this is an improvement over how their encounter started out.

Stephanie is shaken out of her thoughts by a relieved sigh. “Better?” she asks, glancing at Jason; he seems less tense, fixing a compress at the back of his neck.

“It should let up somewhat in a while,” he answers, sounding tired. “I get those terrible migraines sometimes, but painkillers don’t really do shit for me at this point.” He chuckles, for whatever reason. Stephanie can relate to that. “And I’m still not entirely back to my best after the recent… happenings.” She knows a little about the said _happenings_ , too. “So,” Jason continues, looking at her sideways. “Let’s get down to the business. What do you want?”

It’s not exactly _polite_ , but it’s not hostile, so she can work with that. “I need your help,” Stephanie says again. “It’s about Cass.”

“...okay?” Jason drawls out, sounding a little surprised. Then, she can see a frown form on his face. “Wait, did something happen to her? That’s why you’re here?”

“What? No, nothing like that,” she reassures and watches him relax again. It’s a small, almost invisible change, but Stephanie sees it all the same.

“So, what about Cass? Spill the beans, Blondie.”

“‘Blondie’?” she repeats, incredulous. “Really, you can’t do any better than that?”

“Sheesh, everyone’s a critic,” he mutters.

Stephanie shakes her head and almost smiles, but sobers up. “Okay, it's simple,” she says, turning to fully face Jason. “I need your help to get Cass to talk to me.”

If anything, Jason seems puzzled. “But… haven’t you two talked since you came back? I mean, I wasn’t there for that, but I’m pretty sure Cass mentioned something about you being, you know, _alive and kicking_.” He scratches his head. “Why the hell would you need me for that, anyway? You’re her best friend, aren’t you?”

“Well, I don’t really know anymore because she won’t talk to me!” Stephanie bursts out, throwing her hands up in the air. She takes a deep breath, so Jason won’t think she’s hysterical, and continues, “I mean, yeah, I saw her, after I revealed to Tim and the others that I’m alive.” Stephanie recalls the whole thing being almost surreal, to finally _know_ , to have them all look at her like she’s a ghost. After a year she spent being that, she desperately needed something to feel _real_.

“So… it went bad?” Jason ventures. Stephanie sighs and runs a hand through her hair.

“Well, not bad exactly, but… it wasn’t good.” Stephanie remembers chatting up Alfred at the Cave, helping him clear up the mess of shattered cups and spilled tea, when she heard a sharp gasp from the direction of the stairs. Cass was there, dressed in pajamas, arm in a sling, with wide eyes and pale face. Stephanie immediately came around to her, started explaining how she didn’t really die, but had doctor Thompkins fake her death and so on. Cass, as usually, was mostly quiet, but this was a heavy kind of quiet, one that made Steph talk on to fill the silence with something as Cass’ expression was growing more closed off and unreadable. At the end, her nerves, already frayed around the edges this evening, made Stephanie bail out, saying they should catch up, and Cass just nodded.

That was almost two weeks ago and every time Stephanie tried to reach out, she received no response.

“Well, to be fair, she’s been through a rough couple of weeks, considering the deal with our mother dear, and the ordeal with her father,” Jason states. “Actually, scratch that, she had a hard year.”

“I know. I get that,” she says, wondering, _Who hadn’t had a hard year?_ “But I think she’s angry with me. And I don’t know how to…” she trails off.

Coming back is scary, Stephanie thinks. Coming back to people who spent over a year thinking you’re dead, who moved on with their lives because they couldn’t, wouldn't stay still. She’s never dreamed it’d be possible to pick up where they left off, not with her mother, not with Tim. And not with Cass. Still, it pains her.

For the first time, she wonders if that’s how it was for Jason when he came back, too, seeing how things changed and people carried on while he wasn’t there. Then she remembers he was actually _dead_ , so it was probably worse.

Jason sighs, looking up into the night sky. “Your death was hard on her. Even I can tell, and it’s not like I actually knew her before that.”

The admission is simple and it hurts Stephanie even more so because of that.

“I didn’t mean for it to happen like that,” she chokes out, furiously scrubbing at her eyes; she would _not_ cry. “I didn’t mean to hurt her, or anybody else. But everything was… such a _mess_ , I just —- I thought —” It felt like she was drowning in the memories again, pain and fear threatening to crush her ribcage from the inside.

“Hey. Hey, Blondie, calm down,” Jason says, moving closer, gingerly putting his hands on her shoulders. “Breathe, Stephanie. Just breathe.” It takes her a moment, but after the first uneasy breath, the others come more evenly. Jason continues, “You don’t have to explain yourself to me. I’m not judging you. From what I know, both of us had quite enough of that.”

That, out of all things, makes her laugh, albeit weakly. “Oh, you have _no idea_ ,” she mutters. After a moment, Jason retreats from her space; there’s a frown on his face.

“What I meant,” he speaks finally, “is that I don’t think I’m the right person to help you out with this.”

“You’re her brother,” she states, matter-of-factly.

“Yeah, but you could have went and asked the goody-two-shoes Nightwing or that guy you trade spit with. Would be easier than coming looking for me.”

She’s so focused on trying to understand what Jason _isn’t_ saying that she lets the comment about her and Tim fly over her head. “Wait. Do you think that now Tim and Dick are back, Cass is gonna stop hanging out with you?” She blinks. “Are you... jealous?”

For a brief second, Jason’s expression is caught off guard, before he schools his features into a scowl. “What the hell, no,” he answers. “I couldn’t care less.”

Stephanie is honestly amazed at how _bad_ Jason seems to be at laying to himself. Her evaded panic attack slash flashback from moments ago is already forgotten to her.

“Okay, listen. They’re important to her, yeah.” They’re the closest to a family Cassandra has ever had, she can tell. “But from what I know, Cass fought tooth and nail to find you, get to know you in this past year, despite the fact you weren’t so keen on the idea at first, were you?” Jason grumbles something under his breath, but she goes on, “So really, the fact that this thought even crossed your mind is _bullshit_. Cass doesn’t give up on people.” This truth leaves a bittersweet taste in Steph’s mouth.

Jason is silent for a moment before he says, “She may not, but you know the big man and his ultimates. _For your own good_ , etc etc.”

“Well, if he tries to pull anything like that, he’s even more emotionally constipated than I thought.” Jason makes a sound caught between a snort and a gasp. “You can’t really _make_ Cass do _anything_. She’s super loyal, but she’s also one of the most independent people I’ve ever knew.” Stephanie pauses, tangles a hand in her hair and pulls the hood over her head; it’s getting windy up here. “Besides, don’t forget, they did leave Gotham without her and went on that soul-searching trip. Whatever their reasons and the circumstances wouldn’t be, I don’t think she’s completely okay with that.” She pauses, leaving the best for the last. “And on the top of that, Alfred’s got your back, doesn’t he? I heard you’ve been dropping by the Manor.”

Jason blows out a breath. “Only to see him or Cass, and specifically when no one else is there. I can hardly believe B is happy about that, but I guess Alfie put his foot down.” He continues, as if hesitant, “I used to think that Alfred would always take Bruce’s side on everything, but even when he stands with him, he doesn’t necessarily agree. I guess he wants what’s the best for him, and that often entails going against B’s wishes and whims.”

Stephanie turns this over in her head. “God, this family is so complicated,” she says at last. Jason’s dry, _Oh, you have no idea_ , echoing her own sentiment from earlier, almost makes her laugh, but when she glances at him, it’s serious. “But really, even if you don’t want to get mixed up with Batman and the others, don’t give up on Cass. Don’t force her to choose. She can have them, and she can have you.”

Jason stands up and for a moment, Stephanie thinks she went overboard and he’s going to tell her to suck it again and that’s going to be the last she’s seen of him. Instead, Jason turns to her and holds out his hand, saying, “And she can have her best friend back, too.”

She stares at him for a few seconds before the implications settle in. “Oh my gosh, so you agree to help me?” she exclaims, grabbing his hand and hauling herself up. “Thanks so much!”

“Stop crushing my hand,” he grits out.

“Oh, sorry,” Steph says, doing as asked. She rocks back and forth on her heels. “Sooo. What do I do? Do you have any idea in mind?”

He tilts his head, silent for a moment. Then a smirk shows up on his face. “Tell you what, I do. Do you know how to ice skate?”

…

Next evening, Stephanie is idly skating on an indoor ice rink in Old Town, waiting. It’s not too crowded at this time of the week, but most people are either families with kids or couples, and she’s starting to feel a little lonely and out of place by herself; she hopes Jason won’t turn his back on her at the last moment and that he managed to drag Cass into town.

She notices the two of them before they see her; Jason’s height and build make him stand out, even when he’s dressed casually, in black pants and a soft jacket. Next to him, Cassandra looks small by comparison, clinging to his shoulder with her good arm, the other still in a sling. It must be her first time skating and she’s so focused on staying upright she doesn’t even notice Stephanie making their way to them.

“...so keep your knees bent a little,” Jason’s saying to Cass, who nods. He looks up just as Stephanie stops in front of them and winks at her; just now she sees his eyes are blue, with faint tint of green. “Well then. Blondie can walk you through the rest.”

Cassandra blinks, obviously not having expected Stephanie at all. She doesn’t look angry or disappointed, but she doesn’t seem thrilled, either.

“ _Jason_ ,” she says, voice petulant and accusatory as he passes her arm to Stephanie.

“Don’t give me that look, Cass. Talk it out, ladies. I will be around,” he adds, already skating away.

And that’s how Stephanie is left with a pretty annoyed, pouting Cassandra. Well, Jason didn’t promise the plan to be failproof; the ball is in her court now.

“Let’s move at our pace,” Stephanie says then, gently nudging her friend. “We’re going to be in people’s way, standing here like that.”

They don’t hasten and Cassandra holds onto her arm pretty tightly, her sense of balance probably still off because of the sling, but she’s doing pretty fine, easing herself into moves with grace.

“I can tell, after tonight, you’re going to have all basics covered and in no time you’ll be better than me,” Stephanie teases, though she absolutely means it.

Cassandra just shrugs her good shoulder in answer and Stephanie feels the smile drop from her face.

“Hey, Cass,” she starts after a while, quieter now. “Are you… not happy that I’m alive?”

At that, Cassandra looks sharply at her, her brows furrowed. “Of course I am. Surprised, but… happy. So glad.”

“O-kay,” Stephanie breathes out. One worry crossed out. “So, you’re not happy that I’m back?”

Cass shakes her head. “That’s… not it,” she protests. “Would be happier if you… didn’t leave at all. Like that.”

“Believe me, those weren’t my ideal circumstances, either,” Stephanie tries to lighten the mood, but it doesn’t seem to work.

“Stop… evading,” Cassandra asks, mouth twisting. “No time for jokes. You’re still… hurting.”

“I—” She almost stumbles, not sure how to deflect this one. Maybe Cass is talking about psychosomatic pain she keeps experiencing, but no, it’s probably not what this is about. She settles on, “Right now, I’m hurting the most because my best friend in the world is angry with me and I don’t know how to fix it.”

“It’s not just—” Cass sounds frustrated. “Not just you. I keep thinking…”

“That if I listened to you and stayed off the streets, this all could have been avoided?” Stephanie can’t help but ask, smiling ruefully, even as her lips feel like they’re about to bleed.

“That I… we… couldn’t save you.”

It hurts worse than a punch to the gut would. “Cass—”

“And you didn’t say anything!” Cassandra exclaims, uncharacteristic fury in her stance. “You just… let us think you’re dead… _and left_!”

“Because I didn’t think I had any other choice at the time!” Stephanie involuntarily raises her voice, too. “I _effed up_ , Cass, big time. People died because of my mistakes. I put you all in danger, ended up almost dying myself. Leslie’s idea seemed like something that could work,” she tries to reason, but isn’t sure if it’s still Cass she’s trying to convince. A few people stare at them as they pass them by. “I thought you, out of all people, wouldn’t condemn me for running away and trying to start over.”

It comes out bitter and reproachful, and she regrets the words the moment they’re out of her mouth. Cassandra tears herself away from her side, still rather wobbling on ice.

“Cass, hang on, I’m—” Stephanie says, going after her; somewhere in her peripheral vision, she thinks she sees Jason making his way to them, but ignores it for now. “You will end up aggravating your arm if you’re not careful—”

As she speaks, Cassandra indeed loses her balance and, graceful as she may be, doesn’t regain it. Stephanie skids to her side and makes herself land flat on her ass, making sure Cass doesn’t fall on her healing arm. It all must have looked equal parts hilarious and pathetic. Good thing they’re near the edge of the rink, not in the middle of it or something.

“The first thing we should have taught you is how to fall properly,” she jokes, resigned. And then Cass surprises her by hugging her, throwing her good arm around Stephanie’s neck.

“It’s just,” she starts, audibly struggling, “you died. Barbara left after the gang war. And when I came back, Blüdhaven was… gone. Brenda… and everyone else…” She wavers here, this wound particularly painful; Stephanie can hear the tears in her voice. “And in Gotham, Bruce, Tim and Dick… If I didn’t go looking for Jason… _didn’t know_ to go looking... it would have been only me and Alfred. And maybe I would have ended up… under Slade’s control, or Cain’s… did something bad… or worse...” She takes an unsteady breath. “It started… with you.”

Stephanie doesn’t know when she wrapped her arms around Cassandra’s middle, but now she leans in, eyes shut tight. “It was so _awful_. It went for days and I thought he’d never stop torturing me,” she says, words spilling out of her mouth again, but this, she hasn’t shared with anyone, not even Leslie, not beyond snaphots and aborted confessions swallowed by Africa’s dry air. “Everything hurt and I felt so helpless, and I just knew I didn’t want to die. I was scared, Cass. Scared, but stubborn, till the very end.”

“I saw you,” Cassandra says then, choked up, voice cracking. “After I went searching for Shiva, fought Cain’s son… when I died.” Stephanie sucks in a breath and holds onto Cass even tighter, even though she didn’t quite think it was possible. “There was… light everywhere. And you were there, carrying me. Telling me it’s okay, that I saved them. That there’s no going back… this time. You’d know.” The tears that have been threatening to flow are finally spilling out of Stephanie’s eyes, trailing down her cheeks, into Cassandra’s hair and shoulder. “But I did. Come back. I was ripped away from you, from that… place, and reborn in fire. And for a long time, I didn’t think it was... fair. Why did I get a chance? Why not you?”

“Oh, Cass,” Stephanie says, knowing she also sounds broken, at the verge of coming apart at the seams. But isn’t that who they were? Messed up, dysfunctional people who wanted to do so much better than what they were given. “I’m here now. And I’m sorry. So sorry. That you had to go through all that and I wasn’t there. That I added to your pain.”

“I missed you,” Cass states, voice much clearer now. “Every day.”

“And I, you. Please don’t be mad at me any longer,” Stephanie pleads. “I can handle Tim, and even my mom, but not you.”

Cassandra leans back, tears still shining in her eyes, but she’s smiling. “Okay. But don’t do that. Ever again.”

“Pinky promise. I don’t want that, either.” She sniffs. “Can we get up now? My butt is freezing off.”

Cass squeezes her tight once more before they clumsily manage to stand up, not rousing interest this time. Jason is waiting at the edge of the rink, leaning on the fence on his elbows. Cassandra manages to cover the short distance by herself and she hugs him, wrapping her arm around his torso. He seems both taken aback and exasperated, but he does hug her back. Once he makes eye contact with Stephanie, she raises her thumbs and mouths, _Thank you_ , to which he just rolls his eyes.

“So, if you are friends again, can I go and crash in peace for tonight?” he asks. Steph has half-mind not to press their luck and let him, but then Cassandra pulls away and states, serious, “You promised ice cream. After skating. I want ice cream.”

“I’m on board with this idea,” Stephanie immediately agrees because, well, ice cream.

“So go get it by yourselves,” he scoffs at them.

“We will buy you your favorite,” Cass negotiates. “Nepo— Neapot— The three-colored ones.”

“And we can swap embarrassing stories about the Rogues, and talk shit about the big man,” Stephanie adds and she’s really starting to love the idea. “I’m sure Cass will give us a free pass this time.”

Cass only says, “Hm,” and Jason grins. “Okay, you convinced me. Let’s do this.”

**Author's Note:**

> i think i mentioned in reply to a comment on the first fic in this AU that i wanted those three to get ice cream together. it takes time but don't say i don't deliver
> 
> kudos & comments are appreciated! hmu on twitter @ jaydonnakyle


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